The Intractable Problem of Homelessness

Homelessness in Loudoun County doesn’t look the same as it does in Metropolitan Washington, or even in neighboring Fairfax. Nonetheless, for those who fall into that situation, there are needs.

“It’s much different here from what people typically associate with homelessness,” states Vickie Koth, executive director for the , an Ashburn-based nonprofit created to help people get back on their feet. “The homeless here are not usually chronic homeless.”

Not that the chronic homeless don’t exist in Loudoun, of course – Koth can cite examples of individuals and even families that have been homeless for years – but they are outnumbered by those who find themselves temporarily homeless and struggling to return to a stable life.

“Most of the people we see are humiliated by their situation and want nothing more than to be back on their feet,” Koth said. “We try to be a one-stop shop for them.”

GSA’s “Six Steps to Self-Sufficiency” program teaches the homeless life skills to propel them forward.

At first, that involves helping get past immediate concerns, whether a crisis intervention, medical treatment, abuse counseling or even dealing with overwhelming debt or foreclosure. From there, program participants receive personal development education, job training, housing assistance and other types of help until the final stage, when they are self-sufficient. Some individuals and families in need take advantage of GSA’s transition housing, which provides program participants a place to live until they get back on their feet and find one of their own.

 “Unless something happens to change their thinking about the way they live and how they live, and life in general, and their life skills, [homelessness] will continue,” Koth explained. “Our particular program is geared toward changing the thinking – to help people be self-sufficient and maintain it. Last year 94 percent of our residents achieved stable housing.”

Homelessness continues to grow in the region. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments performs an annual count of the region's homeless. Overall, that number grew from 2010 11,774 to 11,988 in 2011 – that was an increase after the region experience a decrease the year before.

Loudoun's population dropped from 157 in 2010 to 156 in 2011. The recent low was 152 in 2009, but two years earlier. Even at 2010's 157, the numbers represent a decerease over for Loudoun since 2007 when the homeless population hit 211.

Overall homeless population here remains much smaller than other jurisdictions region, except for Frederick County. Loudoun’s homeless population, 156, is less than half of Alexandria’s 416, the third lowest on the list. DC had the highest population at 6,546. Here are the region’s totals:

• Alexandria 416
• Arlington County 461
• District of Columbia 6,546
• Fairfax County 1,549
• Frederick County 280
• Loudoun County 156
• Montgomery County 1,132
• Prince George’s County 773
• Prince William County 675.

That can make proividing for those in need more difficult because of a perceived lack of need.

“In Loudoun it will be a lot different since our resources are different and the problem is different,” said Beth Rosenberg, of the Department of Family Services. “We have fewer services to draw on, but we also have fewer homeless.”

Despite the COG numbers, GSA serves hundreds looking for a place to live.

GSA had turned away 937 people last year, up from 648 the previous year, Koth said, making Loudoun a particularly difficult place to be homeless.

Low-income housing requires a resident to make 30 percent to 50 percent of the average median income, or AMI, to qualify, Koth explained. Loudoun’s $110,000 AMI means applicant must make $36,000 a year to qualify.

“So what we call low-income housing is actually moderate-income housing,” she said. “And if somebody qualifies, they have to pay $1,200 a month for a two-bedroom, so they often can’t afford it anyway.”

Koth believes misconceptions about the homeless may cause potentials donors to pause before giving, a trend she’d like to change.

“A lot of the time, if people knew the individuals in the low-income bracket that need help, they’d want to help them,” Koth said. “Yes, there are some who want to take advantage, but they are so much in the minority. The majority of people who come here want nothing more than to be on their feet. They feel ashamed.”

To try to change that negative perception, GSA hopes to bring the subject to the attention of the public. This weekend, GSA is holding its [See about the fair].

“We need to impact the community to understand that people can find themselves with nowhere to go because they were foreclosed, or evicted, or are suddenly unemployed or underemployed, especially in the current economy.” Koth said. “In Loudoun County there really needs to be a change of mind, and an understanding that folks just can’t afford what’s available.”

In 2007, neighboring Fairfax took on the homelessness problem adopting a 10-year plan to address it. The plan states, very simply “there must be a change in focus, direction, and service priorities about homelessness in Fairfax County that centers on ending homelessness, not managing it.” The plan details a formula for identifying those at risk for homelessness, marshaling community resources to assist them, and changing certain key policies found to exacerbate the problem.  [To learn more about Fairfax’s plan, click here.”

Loudoun has a homeless plan is in the works. A focus group met in April to work on the county’s Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. The document remains in draft form. More about that plan can be found here.

To learn more about homeless services in Loudoun County, visit the county’s Web page and the GSA Web page.